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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. lean — to bend
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. capital — money
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rock — a stone
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rock — music
  12. lean — thin
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. file — a tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a document
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. court — of a king
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com